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When the Social Security Administration receives wage reports from employers with Social Security numbers and names that don't match those on file, the reports go into an Earnings Suspense File until they can be reconciled with the rightful owner -- which can occur years later when an application for benefits is received. Over the past ten years for which data is available the Social Security Administration has received, on average, more than 9.5 million suspicious wage reports annually representing more than billion per year in wages. "And it's the wages that are used to determine benefits, not the amount of taxes paid in," Hyland notes..Under current law, noncitizens who gain temporary work authorization can qualify for long-term Social Security benefits based on work under invalid Social Security numbers that was done prior to gaining that authorization. If elected, would you support legislation to modify this policy?.For roughly 10 million older Americans who have been retired since 2000, the buying power of their Social Security benefits only 'improved' by a meager 1 percent, from a loss of 34 percent over the period 2000 to 2018 to a loss of 33 percent from 2000- 201The loss occurred even though beneficiaries received a 2.8 percent annual cost - of - living adjustment for 2019..Social Security provides an essential foundation to American's retirement plans, but it simply was never designed to be the sole source of retirement income. Social Security replaces about 40% percent of earnings of the typical retiree. TSCL believes that today's retirement crisis calls for more adequate, not reduced, benefits..The Congressional Budget Office estimates the House GOP's American Health Care Act that passed in the House cuts federal spending on Medicaid by 4 billion over ten years, a funding cut of 25%. The Senate's health care bill would cut Medicaid even more deeply, by using a more slowly-growing inflation index to adjust reimbursements to states..Many other Democrats on Capitol Hill including President Obama seemed to share his concerns. However, since the budget blueprint is a resolution and not a bill, it will not require the signature of the President, and each of the proposals that appear in it including the repeal of the ACA and the cuts to Medicare and Medicaid will require the passage of separate legislation.."'Health-care preparedness today is much better than it was in February and March,'" Badley said in an interview. "'We have better and more rapid access to diagnosis. We have more knowledge about what drugs to use and what drugs not to use. We have more experimental treatments available. All of those contribute to possible improvements in the mortality rate.'".The "Congressional Corner" reflects the views of the writer and are not necessarily those of The Senior Citizens League..On behalf of the Board of Trustees and all TSCL members, we would like to send a hearty "thank-you," to the Members of Congress and their staff for meeting with us.